Oxford moves forward with waste water treatment project
OXFORD – The final pieces of the puzzle are in place to enable the Village of Oxford to move forward with its plans to make much-needed improvements at the municipality’s waste water treatment plant.
Tuesday night, the village’s board of trustees unanimously approved a bid tendered by Procon Contraction of Vestal for the installation of two Rotating Biological Contractors (RBC), as well as authorized Mayor Terry Stark to enter into a contract with engineering firm Clough, Harbour & Associates (CHA) to oversee the process.
“It’s higher than what we anticipated,” Stark said, of Procon’s $56,000 bid for the installation. They had estimated the work would cost the village around $37,000. Procon was, however, the low bidder. The four other bids came in higher, ranging from $74,000 to as high as $106,000.
“We’ll just have to reconfigure our financing,” the mayor reported. The village had estimated the cost for the entire project at $439,000, which for the time being has been financed through a Bond Anticipation Note (BAN). Bids have already been awarded for the purchase of the two RBCs, which will cost roughly $150,000 each. The additional agreement with CHA, which has already been contracted for their engineering services, will add as much as $18,000 to the project’s overall price tag, over and above the firm’s previously agreed-to fees.
Stark said the village has applied for, but so far been denied, any type of grant funding or low-interest loans through the USDA’s Rural Development arm. He said he plans to continue exploring other options in this regard. If an outside funding source is not found, the village may have to foot the entire bill for the project.
Oxford’s situation is not unique, according to the village leader.
“A lot of small municipalities are going to have a hard time paying for needed improvements to infrastructure without help from state and federal sources,” he explained.
Oxford has little choice in the matter. It must replace its two existing RBCs – one of which has been out of commission since September of 2009 – as they play a crucial role in removing pollutants from the waste water processed by the plant. And they must do so by March 31, or face further sanctions from New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation.
Like all waste water treatment facilities in the state, Oxford’s plant has an operating permit from the DEC. The permit requires wastewater officials to closely monitor the levels of various compounds contained in the water released into the Chenango.
“We’ve been out of compliance with the state DEC since October of (2009),” Stark said. As a result, the village was assessed a $4,500 last summer. The municipality was also required to sign a compliance agreement, which states the new equipment must be installed by the end of March at the latest.
“They’ve allowed us to continue the operation ... pending the replacement,” the mayor reported.
Based on the timeline, Stark said he didn’t believe rebidding the installation would be worth the “time, effort and money” which would have to be expended.
Tuesday night, the village’s board of trustees unanimously approved a bid tendered by Procon Contraction of Vestal for the installation of two Rotating Biological Contractors (RBC), as well as authorized Mayor Terry Stark to enter into a contract with engineering firm Clough, Harbour & Associates (CHA) to oversee the process.
“It’s higher than what we anticipated,” Stark said, of Procon’s $56,000 bid for the installation. They had estimated the work would cost the village around $37,000. Procon was, however, the low bidder. The four other bids came in higher, ranging from $74,000 to as high as $106,000.
“We’ll just have to reconfigure our financing,” the mayor reported. The village had estimated the cost for the entire project at $439,000, which for the time being has been financed through a Bond Anticipation Note (BAN). Bids have already been awarded for the purchase of the two RBCs, which will cost roughly $150,000 each. The additional agreement with CHA, which has already been contracted for their engineering services, will add as much as $18,000 to the project’s overall price tag, over and above the firm’s previously agreed-to fees.
Stark said the village has applied for, but so far been denied, any type of grant funding or low-interest loans through the USDA’s Rural Development arm. He said he plans to continue exploring other options in this regard. If an outside funding source is not found, the village may have to foot the entire bill for the project.
Oxford’s situation is not unique, according to the village leader.
“A lot of small municipalities are going to have a hard time paying for needed improvements to infrastructure without help from state and federal sources,” he explained.
Oxford has little choice in the matter. It must replace its two existing RBCs – one of which has been out of commission since September of 2009 – as they play a crucial role in removing pollutants from the waste water processed by the plant. And they must do so by March 31, or face further sanctions from New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation.
Like all waste water treatment facilities in the state, Oxford’s plant has an operating permit from the DEC. The permit requires wastewater officials to closely monitor the levels of various compounds contained in the water released into the Chenango.
“We’ve been out of compliance with the state DEC since October of (2009),” Stark said. As a result, the village was assessed a $4,500 last summer. The municipality was also required to sign a compliance agreement, which states the new equipment must be installed by the end of March at the latest.
“They’ve allowed us to continue the operation ... pending the replacement,” the mayor reported.
Based on the timeline, Stark said he didn’t believe rebidding the installation would be worth the “time, effort and money” which would have to be expended.
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